A Bad Time For Truth
by SynethesiaTastesGrey
Summary: That yummy scene in Pritkin's bedroom from Embrace the Night retold from his POV.


I hurried up the stairs, draining the last of my coffee as I went. I dumped the cup into a bin as I passed the trashed bar that led to the room I was staying in and rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands. I was tired, so tired that I didn't notice there was someone in the room until I opened the door and saw the flicker of movement.

Instinct took over completely. I lunged forward, and tackled the figure, drawing a knife as I went. We flew backwards, landing on the bed with me on top, my blade automatically moving to the jugular. It took me a few seconds to calm down enough to examine the intruder. I stared down into a familiar pair of blue eyes. Cassie.

My heart was still pounding frantically from the shock and the urge to fight was pumping through me, but I was extremely aware of how small she was. If I'd knocked her onto the floor instead of the bed, I would have broken her ribs.

"What do you think you're doing?" I demanded, angry with myself as much as her.

"Trying not to move?" she replied, the question in her voice asking me to get off her. Despite the fact the fact that she must have known that I wasn't a threat to her anymore, her expression was anxious, almost panicky. I pulled myself together and got up.

"You should have given me some warning if you planned to come 'round," I pointed out with a scowl. "What if I had rigged a snare?"

She didn't answer, she just looked at me like she was trying to see through me, and I suddenly became uncomfortably warm. I took off my coat and avoided her eyes. She continued to stare, clearly taking in the smears of dust and grime, dotted all over me, before speaking.

"What have you been doing?"

"Researching."

"In a coal mine?"

"Obscure magical texts are seldom found on hygienic computer files," I snapped, resisting the urge to smack her. "Now would you like to explain what you're doing here?"

She glanced away and the sunlight, turned pink by that ridiculous window, poured liberally over the curve of her neck, distracting me for a moment. When she spoke, her voice was soft and it echoed the tension in the rigid set of her shoulders.

"I thought you'd be pleased to see me after that scene in the lobby."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, totally confused.

Once again she didn't respond, she just gaped at me as if she'd only just noticed me. Feeling more than a little pissed off, I moved to the cupboard to hang up my coat.

"You don't carry a sword!" she blurted.

"I don't need one, remember?"

Surely she couldn't have forgotten that scene in Mac's tattoo parlour. I certainly hadn't been able to! I turned to find Cassie gawping at me again. Before I could say anything, she leaped off the bed and spun me 'round, simultaneously jerking at my t-shirt and tugging at the various weapons belts slung over my shoulders.

"What the-" I began, but she cut me off.

"Hold still!" she hissed and kept fumbling with the straps. Then apparently giving up, she stepped away.

"Take off your shirt," she barked, an unfamiliar tone of command in her voice. Her heart was pounding so loudly I could hear it. I faced her, curiosity warring with anger. Curiosity won. I took the belts off and tossed them haphazardly onto the floor.

The minute I was done, Cassie turned me around again and was silent. My skin prickled - her gaze was like a physical force. Then I felt the softest of touches as she reached out with two fingers to follow the design of the sword tattoo that ran from the tip of my shoulder to the base of my back. My heart began to thump loudly enough to match hers and my breathing sped up until I had to fight to control it. I braced my arm against the wall, trying to find something, anything, to anchor myself.

"Thinking of getting another tat?" I asked, and even to me, my voice sounded strained.

She remained silent and her fingers continued their journey downwards. Then they slipped inside my jeans and stroked the dimple below the small of my back. I froze for a second, my ability to take in oxygen suddenly disappearing. My blood left my brain and headed south.

I was expecting the burning pain of the geis any second now - that damn spell couldn't fail to be awakened, not when we were this close, electricity pulsing between us.

Cursing that vampire bastard, I whirled and grabbed her wrist. "Careful," I growled. "Or have you forgotten what that geis of yours can do?"

Cassie looked at me and her pupils were like saucers. She actually looked like she was stoned. She stumbled backwards and sat heavily on the bed, looking dizzy. She swallowed audibly, drawing my attention to her throat, which looked beautiful and far too tempting.

"We have a problem," she told me hoarsely.

I snapped out of my reverie, and snorted, to cover my discomfort.

"Only one?", I said sarcastically. "That would be a change."

She slumped backwards so abruptly I thought she fainted. I moved closer and realised she was just thinking. With her head tipped back, her shoulders, throat and cleavage were exposed, the oddly muted light making her skin look almost lustrous, like it had a soft glow of its own. I forced myself not to think about tasting it. Despite the fact that I was shirtless, I could feel myself starting to sweat.

Cassie continued to just lie there silently, her breasts rising and falling with every breath. I was beginning to lose control, and that was not good or normal for that matter. I'd been in more awkward situations with far more attractive women. Something was definitely wrong.

I leaned over her and her eyes flickered open in surprise. I was invading her space, making her uncomfortable, and I didn't care. Frustration, and the stirring uneasiness in the pit of my stomach were making me reckless. I glared down at her.

"You are going to tell me exactly what's going on," I hissed "Right now."

And just like that, her expression changed. Her eyes softened but at the same time began to smoulder. I felt her hand on my cheek and my mind spun. As she gently tilted my head and leaned towards me, the only thing I could think was, "OhshitohshitohshitOHSHIT!" Then her lips touched mine and all coherent thought fled. I hesistated for a moment, then kissed her back.

Sensations assaulted me from all sides. I was lying over her, without any knowledge of how I got there and her fingers were running through my hair and the only thing I knew was that I couldn't stop. Her lips felt like silk under mine and they parted easily, letting me deepen the kiss. I pushed my tongue into her mouth, and angled her head so I could thrust it in deeper, taste more of her. She kept making these muffled little sounds, like tiny little moans, that drove me absolutely wild. I drew her closer, so hungry for this that I was sick with it. I took from her relentlessly and she wrapped her arms around me and let me.

After what seemed liked an age, I lifted my mouth from hers, and she gasped for air.

"You bastard! I knew you were cheating!"

I stared at her, totally nonplussed before realising that she'd been able to taste the proof that I'd broken her anti-coffee embargo on my tongue. It was a small thing, but the idea of her tasting my mouth brought home the enormity of what I had just done. How the hell was I going to explain this?

"Miss Palmer-" I began, but she interrupted me.

"I'm lying on your bed. You just kissed me senseless. I think you can risk using my first name."

"I'm risking enough as it is," I muttered feeling weirdly flattered.

i couldn't bring myself to let go of her. Her fingers dug into my shoulders and traced my scars. As if in a trance, she ran her hands over my arms and squeezed my biceps. I tried to force myself to think, to concentrate, to figure out what was wrong. The geis wasn't working and I wasn't doing anything so - Cassie shifted under me, unconsciously brushing her breasts against my bare shoulders and my train of thought disintegrated.

"Cassie," I said hoarsely and stopped, because I hadn't a clue what to say next.

"Well, you went and did it now," she murmured and her voice sounded really odd, like there was gauze over her mouth. "Guess I'll have to start calling you John."

"This isn't a good idea," I blurted, trying to think of a way to get her stop before I lost it altogether. But I was having difficulty remembering why it was such a bad idea, and it was slowly dawning on me that it would be the easiest thing in the world to just lie there and let her touch me. So I stayed there, struggling to focus on the problem, while her hands slid between my arms and began running up and down my back. They crept lower and lower until they found the waistband of my jeans and slipped inside. My ability to think skittered away from me again and that was before she caressed the dimple below the small of my back. Her hands felt wonderful - they were so delicate, but at the same time I was completely at their mercy.

"I never asked you if you have an evil twin," she said, and her voice sounded warped and unreal in the taffy-like silence stretching out between us."Do you?"

I blinked. If I had been confused before, I was now one hundred per cent bewildered.

"Why?" I asked, the gnawing the pit of my stomach coming back. Something very, very bad was about to happen. The hair on my arms and the back of my neck standing straight up, and the air smelled like lightning about to strike.

Cassie seemed to be fighting for breath. She looked up at me, desire in her flashing eyes, but something else flickered in their depths - at some level, she could sense that something was wrong too. I waited for her to answer me, but the awareness in her gaze vanished again and she hid her face in my chest, rubbing my skin with the tip of her nose. My whole body tingled and I slammed my hands against the bed.

"Listen to me! There's something wrong! What did you mean about the lobby?"

I was starting to understand, but I just couldn't concentrate. Dimly, I was aware that something was clouding my mind. I tried again to focus, but Cassie wasn't helping by running her nails over my chest and then dragging them down to my stomach. I felt a biting ache from my groin and suddenly realised that I was growing harder by the second. The urge to take her, make her mine, overwhelmed me and I forced myself to jerk away from her before it was too late.

Even as I moved, the light from the window flared blindingly, like someone was shining a spotlight behind it. I watched, totally numb as the red light gathered slowly into a vibrant cloud. Incubus, whispered my instincts and then it spoke.

"All that power and in such a pretty package. It really is irresistible."

Its voice was nauseatingly familiar. Rage finally cleared the fog from my brain and I found the memories I had been groping for all along. Rosier.

"I knew it," I snarled, so angry that my hands trembled.

"What is it?" asked Cassie, but her voice seemed to come from far away. I couldn't answer, could hardly hear over the hatred roaring in my mind. But the hatred wasn't half as bad as the fear. He was here for Cassie, I knew beyond doubt.

"You will not have her," I hissed and the bastard just laughed softly, setting my teeth on edge.

"Who said anything about me?" he replied and hit me with a suggestion so powerful it seared me, right down to the bones. I screamed, half from pain and half with lust, and lost control.

Mind gone, I became little more than five senses loosely bound by a thin skin. I grabbed Cassie and kissed her hard on the mouth, one hand on either side of her face, holding her still. I pressed against her and didn't even give her a chance to breathe, massaging her tongue with my own. She groaned loudly into my mouth, and I wrenched my lips away from hers to explore all the velvety, white skin before me. I kissed my way frantically along her collarbone, then moved to the side of her neck. The smell of her was intoxicating and it was such a relief to finally taste her skin, to know what she felt like, writhing under me - so much better than anything I could have imagined. I buried my face in her cleavage, nuzzling with my lips, before sliding up to kiss her jaw. I couldn't get enough of her. Every problem was forgotten until I saw the look in her eyes. Glazed with pleasure, they were completely trusting, reminding me horribly of the last woman to look at me like that.

The memory was still far too clear - the screams, the pleading, the surge of strength like the best drug in the world and her beautiful face, withering and aging before my eyes. I focused on Cassie's face again and I could see the same thing happening to her all too easily. I held myself still, every muscle trembling with the effort of staying still, of not being inside her, wet and soft and - oh God, that was a bad train of thought to follow. I was so hard it was painful.

I clenched my teeth and she arched up against me, dragging a scream out of me.

"Don't," I groaned. "Don't move."

As per usual, Cassie did the exact opposite of what I told her. With a cry that I only half registered, she reared up and rolled me onto my back and pressed her face into my stomach, nuzzling. I clutched her shoulders, but not to push her away. She licked me slowly, her tongue trailing just below my naval.

"Cassie-" I gasped pleadingly. I desperately wanted her to stop, but at the same time to keep going. She ignored me and moved lower. I was so hard that I strained against my jeans and then her hand came to rest on my crotch. She undid one button and then tugged the rest out of their holes.

"Oh, God," I whispered. I knew that if she touched me, there was no way in Hell I would stop myself. The power radiating from Rosier stung my skin and the image of Cassie's face, wrinkled and ancient forced its way into my head.

I choked out a powerful incantation against demons, which was enough to break the suggestion. Rosier's power drew together, preparing for materialisation and I felt reality twist as he became corporeal.  
I stared at him in revulsion. He had chosen my form. Suddenly that "evil twin" comment made a lot more sense. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Cassie staring at me and my father, completely dumb-struck.

"She has to die," Rosier told me calmly. I glared at him, unable to put my fury into words. He noticed and smiled pleasantly. "I promised it won't hurt."

"What is your interest in her?" I forced out. Talking to him made me feel sick.

"She talked to Saleh." His cold eyes flashed to Cassie and back. "She knows."

My temper burst free and I dove straight at him, smashing him backwards. I fought furiously, landing blow after blow. The bastard gave as good as he got, pounding his fists into my ribs and stomach, flailing wildly. It was too close, too frantic to use magic properly, but we both tried anyway, half-formed spells and bursts of pure energy hammering on each others' shields. Then he broke my hold long enough to trap me in a whirlwind of power that drove me backwards, fighting back with everything I had, but it wasn't enough. Then I felt an unmistakable pit open up in my senses, as something drew everything living and human it could find into itself. Rosier was draining Cassie! Raw panic welled up inside me and I expanded my shields violently, shattering Rosier's spell.

I saw him, still mimicking my body, leaning over her while she writhed in pain. I lunged forward and hauled him off her. Cassie stared up at the two of us.

"You're an incubus!" she exclaimed and the bottom dropped out of my stomach.

"Only half," I growled and without thinking I wrenched the thing's neck and twisted his head. Had he been human, his spine would have snapped. But being a demon, he only got more pissed off.

Perhaps if Cassie hadn't figured things out just then, I wouldn't have screwed up like that. But I can't blame her. I'm a soldier. I should be able to fight under any circumstances. But as it was, I felt a hole open up in me as I admitted the truth and Rosier pounced on the moment of weakness. He jerked free, lifted me bodily and hurled me backwards.

I was looking straight at him as my back hit the window and I saw what happened. One second he starting towards Cassie a snarl on his - my! - face, the next he was reeling away, covered in potions, bleeding, burning and melting. Then I couldn't wonder anymore because I was hurtling towards the ground.

I didn't have time to raise a shield so I flipped over, reaching for the ground. I bent my arms and legs as I hit, trying to absorb some the force and I tucked my head down, to protect it. Despite that and my useful resistance to breaking, the air was completely knocked out of me and the impact shook my brain inside my skull, dazing me. I lay there for a minute, trying to stop the world from spiraling into blackness. The second I got some oxygen in my lungs, I lurched to my feet and instantly regretted it. My pants, still open, tried to fall down and I tied the top button as I staggered to the nearest entrance.

My head throbbed in pain, I had at least three fractures in the arm that I had landed on, a bunch of broken ribs and what felt like a mild concussion, but I couldn't stop. I barged through the doors and stumbled drunkenly to the stairs, my mind filled with one thought: he's hurting her! I charged up the back stairs, knocking a room service boy flying. I drew puzzled looks from everyone I passed and I can only imagine the picture I must have made: half-naked, sweaty, bruised and covered in blood, weaving like a drunk and sprinting up the stairs as if my life depended on it. Which in a way it did. Because if I let that monster kill Cassie, I really didn't I could live with myself.

Muscles burning and bones still screaming from the fall, I all but fell into the bar and headed for the room, praying all the while, ", don't let me be too late, don'tletmebetoolate!" And that's when I saw/felt it. A rush of power, like some kind of metaphysical bomb exploding. Energy flowed outward from behind the bar where my room was and I stopped in awe. It could only mean one thing. Somehow, Cassie had banished him.

Moving slower now, my crazed momentum gone, I dragged myself across the bar and into the corridor. Dreading what I would see I pushed open the door and stared. If my room had been a mess before, it looked like rubbish tip now. Cassie crouched in the centre of the destruction, wretching violently. Guilt, sympathy, anger, pain (a lot of pain) - there were too many emotions to handle when I was this tired. I walked over to Cassie, knelt beside her and gathered her gently in my arms.

She tried to sit up, getting one arm underneath her for leverage, but I just held her closer.

"Give it a moment," I said, unable to keep the rage out of my voice. Rage at her, for getting mixed up in this damn mess, rage at Rosier, for everything, but most of all rage at myself, for not protecting her.

We sat there silently for the longest time. She didn't protest against being held like a baby and she didn't try to stop me when I carried her to her room, took off her shoes and put her into bed. Then I left because I couldn't face the questions. Half-incubus, my father, the Codex... she'd talked to Saleh. I knew what was coming and it made me sick to my stomach to what Cassie would of it all, when she knew the truth. The knowledge that once again what I was had harmed someone I cared for made me so angry that I half expected to burst into flame.


End file.
